The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday told the Federal Government to perish the thought of hiking the price of fuel from the already exorbitant N145 per litre, saying such would not only be criminal, but also inhuman and completely unacceptable.

The party said investigations have shown that the Federal Government has been lying to Nigerians on oil-related issues, while using the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to bandy figures, with intentions to arrive at a predetermined agenda to increase the price of fuel, especially petrol.

The PDP alleged that the lingering fuel crisis and its attendant black-market costs were only a ploy by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government to justify its intended hike of petroleum prices.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said the APC government has completely become numbed to the sufferings of Nigerians to the extent that it no longer cares about imposing more hardship on the people.

The party said instead of putting more burden on the people, the government should come out clear on “sleazes in the oil sector under its watch, particularly the shady oil subsidy payouts and illegal lifting of N1.1 trillion worth of crude using unregistered companies.”

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had in December last year informed Nigerians that the NNPC had been paying subsidy on fuel.The PDP said the government has refused to tell Nigerians who the beneficiaries are, the amount involved and who authorised the payment, because of the inherent corruption in the deal.

The statement reads in part: “Any increase in fuel pump price would be an indirect tax on Nigerians to fund APC interests and considering the pains Nigerians have suffered under this government, this intended hike will be callous.

“It is now clear to all that this APC- controlled government will never act in the interest of Nigerians. All the actions and policies of APC, in their close to three years in office, have been targeted against Nigerians and there are no signals that they will change.

“We, therefore, urge Nigerians to reject this plot to raise the prices of petroleum products, even as they gear towards using the next election to end the misrule of the APC.”